Charlotte, North Carolina, March 7, 2017—Global anilox roll supplier Harper Corporation of America recently promoted Josh Kiser from OEM Accounts Manager to HarperScientific Product Manager. Since joining Harper, Kiser has been as asset to the company and the customers it serves.

Kiser has more than 10 years’ experience in the printing industry spanning printing applications, anilox rolls, cleaning chemicals, proofing color matching equipment, and volume measuring instruments. He has held several positions throughout his tenure with Harper including HarperScientific Technical Support, Graphic Solutions Lab Supervisor, OEM Accounts Manager, and now HarperScientific Product Manager.

Prior to joining Harper Corporation of America, Kiser worked as a Time Study Engineering Manager at La-Z-Boy Furniture Manufacturer in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He holds a degree in Business Management from Western Carolina University and certifications as a Level I, II, and III FIRST Implementation Specialist from the Flexographic Technical Association. Individuals with these certifications are experts in the field of flexographic printing support, consultation, and communication.

Harper Corporation of America welcomes Josh Kiser in his new position and is confident that he will continue providing exceptional insight and service to customers and supporting business growth.

For more information, please contact Jazmin Siancas at 704-588-3371, ext. 4292, or jsiancas@harperimage.com.

Charlotte, North Carolina, April 4, 2016—Global anilox roll supplier Harper Corporation of America is proud to announce that as of March 18, 2016, Ronald “Lee” Kluttz has assumed the position of President of Harper Corporation of America and Harper International Corporation. Kluttz is the grandson of founders Ron and Katherine Harper.

Throughout his career, Kluttz has risen through the ranks of the company and has been well trained by his founding family during his many years of service. Previous roles have included various manufacturing positions, Technical Analyst, Customer Service and Production Supervisor, Manufacturing Manager, Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, and, since 2011, Vice President of Operations.

The organization is confident in his abilities to continue leading the company toward positive global growth as a top innovator in the printing and packaging industries and has no doubt that in his new role he will continue to add great success to the company’s growing resume.

For more information, please contact Jazmin Siancas at 704-588-3371, ext. 4292, or jsiancas@harperimage.com.

Charlotte, North Carolina, June 5, 2017—Global anilox roll supplier Harper Corporation of America is committed to providing exceptional knowledge, service, support, and products to its customers. The company strives to attract top talent and is proud to welcome Rommel Manabat and Charles Henderson to the team.

Rommel Manabat will serve as Technical Account Manager for the Southeast and brings more than 28 years of combined experience in production and project management with comprehensive knowledge in flexography and offset printing. His possession of both technical and creative skill sets proved valuable in his role as Prepress Manager for more than 14 years in the world of wide web flexible packaging. That versatility and strong ability to collaborate effectively across multiple manufacturing platforms allows him to utilize his in-depth knowledge of prepress, print production, and manufacturing to recognize and find solutions. Manabat will be responsible for sales in the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi.

Charles Henderson is a respected contributor in the field of flexographic and offset printing and will serve as Technical Service Representative for the Southeast. He earned a certificate in Graphic Arts from Forsyth Technical College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and advanced his certificate with additional studies in Flexography, Inks, and Coating.  Henderson has been an accomplished industry leader for more than 25 years and has developed and fine-tuned his niche inflexographic printing. Throughout his career, he has been awarded the Master Printers of America Award and the Flexo Multi-Color Press Operators Award. Henderson is proud to be a part of the Harper Technical Support Team as they revolutionize the print industry. He will be responsible for technical service for customers in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia.

Harper Corporation of America is excited to welcome Rommel Manabat and Charles Henderson to the Southeast Region and is confident that they will prove a strong addition to the organization.

For more information, please contact Jazmin Siancas at 704-588-3371, ext. 4292, or jsiancas@harperimage.com.

Printers and converters worldwide can benefit from this accreditation by combining Harper’s anilox with Bellissima to see improvements in workflow and quality.

Andy Cave, CEO of Hamillroad, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Harper – Harper is an innovator in the production of anilox rollers globally and our drive to improve efficiency and quality are matched. We are delighted to partner with Harper to promote Harper aniloxes with Bellissima to their North American and worldwide customer base.”

The Bellissima accreditation is a three-phase guided process using a wide range of screen and surface pattern testing, culminating in a ‘customer quality test’ to ensure samples meet the required commercial standards. The process is rigorous and requires technical expertise and commitment from each partner. Only Bellissima qualified plates can be used, and the comprehensive test includes a range of anilox and press combinations with Bellissima, using a variety of substrates on both narrow web and wide web presses. 

Juan Bermúdez, Harper’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Technical Services added: “As a company, we’re delighted that Harper’s advanced anilox surface technology is able to achieve the full Bellissima accreditation under the guidance of Hamillroad’s highly experienced technical team. Quality of image is at the center of everything we do, and we are excited to see our customers benefit from this newly announced partnership with Hamillroad on Bellissima DMS.”

The outcome sees the combined efforts of two innovative products in the marketplace achieve synergy to unlock the path to high-fidelity ECG (Expanded Color Gamut) printing, allowing printers to benefit from increased productivity and reduced costs. Hamillroad is working with other partners across the sector to certify their products for use with Bellissima DMS.

To find out more about how Bellissima DMS can help your business drive efficiencies, visit: www.hamillroad.com/the-bellissima-network/. Or email: info@hamillroad.com

For more information on the Harper anilox product range visit: https://www.harperimage.com/

Charlotte, N.C., February 27, 2007 – The Phoenix Challenge Foundation is proud to announce that Stephen Gerhardt, Harper National Flexographic Center Coordinator at the Harper Campus of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, N.C., has joined its board of directors.”I’m honored to join the board,” said Gerhardt. “The Phoenix Challenge Foundation serves a function that is integral to the future of the flexographic industry. As a flexo educator, I believe in the importance of creating a trained and talented future workforce for flexography – it’s the basis of my career.”

“Stephen is a perfect addition to our board,” said Bettylyn Krafft, Phoenix Challenge Foundation chairman. “His experience falls in line precisely with our mission and we will draw on his expertise as we work to expand the Foundation’s scope to include PC College, our new annual competition for college students.”

A seven-time PICA (Printing Industry of the Carolinas) award-winner, Gerhardt began his career in graphics while managing two business service centers that offered design work and quick printing. He later joined PostNet as a Graphic Specialist, where his pre-press skills proved a valuable asset. With his sights set on furthering his formal education in flexography, he enrolled in the graphic arts program at CPCC’s Harper Campus. While attending CPCC, he was hired as a part time Lab Facilitator, giving countless press and plate-making demonstrations, teaching pre-press skills, and helping students and teachers trouble-shoot press operations. Along the way he developed a love for teaching flexography and computer graphics.

He has taught Flexography I, Flexographic Applications, Image Manipulation I, Graphic Arts I, and Computer Graphics II, III and IV. His teaching methods are very popular with CPCC’s graphic arts students.

Major supporters of the Phoenix Challenge Foundation include All Printing Resources, Anderson & Vreeland, Avery Dennison, Benton Graphics, Canadian Flexographic Training Committee, Central Piedmont Community College, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Dunwoody College of Technology, Flexographic Technical Association, Harper Corporation, JetUSA, J.R. Cole, Krafft Printing Systems, Mark Andy, Rotometrics, and Water Ink Technologies. Other sponsors include Appalachian State University, Environmental Inks, FlexoExchange, Graymills, Mastergraphics, RB COR and Williamson.

For more information on how you can support the Phoenix Challenge, or to inquire about advertising in the Phoenix Challenge newspaper, contact Bettylyn Krafft at 704-309-3748 or bkrafft@carolina.rr.com .

For more information on the Phoenix Challenge Foundation, the Flexo Skills Competition and PC College, please visit http://www.phoenixchallenge.org .

About the Phoenix Challenge Foundation Founded in 1998, the Phoenix Challenge Foundation is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization of industry professionals dedicated to the recruitment and development of the future workforce of flexography. Each year, flexo high school students and teachers from throughout the U.S. and Canada are invited to the Phoenix Challenge, a two-day skill-based competition with hands-on and written testing in operating a flexo press, prepress, plate-making, and overall flexo knowledge. Winners are eligible for scholarships funded by the Phoenix Challenge Foundation.

In 2007, The Phoenix Challenge Foundation will host its first PC College competition.

To date, $21,000 in scholarships has been awarded to encourage students to pursue further education and a career in flexography. For additional information or to make donations, please visit http://www.phoenixchallenge.org .

The Phoenix Challenge Foundation – 6805 Pleasant Grove Road, Waxhaw, NC 28173

For further information, please contact Jazmin Kluttz at 704-588-3371 or jkluttz@harperimage.com.